Lobby Wrap: Oceanex appeals to Ottawa for COVID-19 support

A private transportation company responsible for delivering about half of the consumables to the island of Newfoundland is lobbying Ottawa on how the COVID-19 pandemic has effected cargo shipments to Newfoundland and Labrador.

Alex Maheu of Summa Strategies registered to lobby on behalf of Oceanex Inc. last week, as the firm continues to seek federal financial support amid the pandemic-induced downturn.

However, the company said Monday that its push for a $2 million weekly subsidy from Ottawa had been declined, CBC News reports.

Oceanex says it will still provide reduced service into St. John’s, with ships arriving from Montreal and Halifax twice a week, instead of the regular three.

Collectively, there were 37 new registrations last week, a noticeable drop from the previous three weeks. Swenco Limited was named in three registrations, while Nieuport Aviation Infrastructure Partners, Indigo Books and Music and Impact Auto Auctions were each named in a pair. By lobby firm, Summa Strategies and Counsel Public Affairs had the best week with four registrations each. StrategyCorp and Crestview were next with three. Four lobbyists had a pair of registrations each: Alex Maheu (Summa), Andrew Steele (StrategyCorp), Chris Gray (Grassroots Public Affairs) and Paul Tye (Sussex).

The highlights

In recent arts/culture/copyright registrations:

Mirabel Paquette of Le Cabinet de relations publiques National registered for newspaper and magazine publisher TC Transcontinental to lobby for financial support for the print media industry.

In recent COVID-19 financial support registrations:

Ben Parsons and Sheamus Murphy of Counsel Public Affairs registered for Impact Auto Auctions to lobby for help through the Canada Emergency Wage Support and other financial assistance programs.

Jordan Pinkster of Global Public Affairs registered on behalf of the Association for Mountain Parks Protections and Enjoyment to look for financial support for the tourism industry. Travel Edge Inc. also wants financial aid for the tourism industry and was registered by StrategyCorp’s Andrew Steele.

The charitable sector is also suffering. Bob Lopinski from Counsel Public Affairs registered for the Ontario Charitable Gaming Association, which is seeking financial support for charities and non-profits impacted by the pandemic lockdown.

Similarly, Kenzie McKeegan of Loyalist Public Affairs registered to lobby for HR Ottawa L.P., the new Hard Rock casino being built at the Rideau Carleton Raceway in south Ottawa. It’s seeking loan guarantees and “credit solutions” from development delays caused by the pandemic.

Julien Nepveu-Villeneuve of TACT Intelligence-Conseil registered for Biron Group Santé to lobby for financial support through the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy.

Paul Tye of Sussex Strategy registered for Blue Door Communications to lobby for financial relieve for the restaurant and hospitality sector. Blue Door is a public relations and marketing company that specialized in the hospitality sector.

Chris Gray of Grassroots Public Affairs registered for the Fitness Industry Council of Canada, which is seeking aid around commercial rents since gyms have been closed for a month. Gray will also lobby for some non-COVID-19 issues, like having fitness professionals recognized as health care professionals in the tax code and the creation of a boutique tax credit called the Adult Fitness Tax Credit.

Gray also registered for the Canadian Wood Pallet and Container Association, which is also seeking help from wage subsidy programs.

Indigo Books and Music was registered by a pair from StrategyCorp – Andrew Steele and Leslie Noble – to find financial support.

In recent COVID-19/food supply chain or safety registrations:

William Pristanski of Prospectus Research registered for Merieux Nutrisciences about new COVID-19 food safety testing requirements.

In recent COVID-19 medical supplies or research registrations:

A trio from Summa Strategies — Joanne Dobson, Alex Maheu and Jeremy Bruce — registered for Swenco Limited, which wants to partner with the federal government to make N95 masks. Swenco is an Ontario-based manufacturer of, among other things, safety footwear.

Also on the N95 front, Richard Mahoney of McMillan Vantage Policy Group registered for Meridian Lightweight Technologies. The company wants to import the machinery and trainers who can manufacture masks. The parent company is Wanfeng Holding Group of China. Last year, Meridian received $300,000 from the federal government.

Frederic Ors of the biopharma company IMV Inc. registered as an in-house lobbyist. IMV wants to support to work on a COVID-19 vaccine.

Stosic & Associates’ Henry Boyd registered on behalf of Mint Pharmaceuticals Inc., which is the main supplier of hydroxychloroquine.

In other COVID-19 registrations:

Martin-Pierre Pelletier of Prospectus Associates registered for the Canadian Construction Association, which is concerned about the impacts of pandemic restrictions on scheduling and costs of construction projects.

Jacqueline Larocque of Compass Rose registered for the Canadian Mental Health Association, which is lobbying for more financial support to provide mental health services for people impacted by the pandemic lockdown.

In recent economic policy registrations:

Gregory Stulen of Pathway Group registered for UBI Works to lobby for a universal basic income. Various government supports for workers affected by the pandemic lockdown has revived the issue of a universal basic income.

In recent sports registrations:

The Canadian Basketball Ventures L.P. operating as Canadian Elite Basketball League was registered by Kate Moseley-Williams of Crestview to hunt for government funding. The seven teams (including the Ottawa Blackjacks) run the league.

In recent transportation registrations:

Natalie Dash and Barry Campbell of Campbell Strategies registered for Nieuport Aviation Infrastructure Partners to look for funding to support airports and airline operations. Nieuport operates the Billy Bishop airport on Toronto Island.

Of note:

Patricia Siebel of Crestview registered for IBM Canada to lobby on a very long list of issues include procurement, the digital economy, privacy issues, trade and one COVID-19 issue – use of super computing and artificial intelligence in virus tracking.